Grab bucket



'March 30,1926.

Y w. B. GREGG GRAB BUCKET i @4M .0M

MAK/a 6R66@ f Mrch 3o, 1926.

W. B. GREGG GRAB ucKsT Filed May 23, 1924 f 5 Sheets- Sheet 2 March 30,1926. 1,578,724 7777 W. B. GREGG Y GRAB BUCKET Filed May 2:5, 1924 ssheets-sheet s IIII Il To all whom t may concern:

A Patented Mar.- 3G, 1926.

A f-1,57 s,724

WILKs B. GREGG, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GRAB BUCKET.

Application mea May 23, 1924. serial ivo. Ji5-,34a

Be it known thatI,.WILKs Chicago', inthel county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certainnew; and useful Improvements in aGrabBucket, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to grab buckets or excavating devices of theclamk shell or hinged jaw type and particularly to ldevices of thischaracter which vare intended for digging purposes such as excavatingearth or handling heavy material.

The principal objectionable feature of the ordinary clamshell bucket isits ineiciency in digging when the lifting cable acts upon its closingmechanism. In other `words,'

lwhen the lifting cable starts f to close the bucket Vit also has atendency to raise the'f same so that the v4jaws are not forced into thematerial. One of the particularjfeal tures of the'present invention isthe provision of suitable closing mechanism where by the action of thelifting or closing cable will have a comparatively strong tendency,toward forcing the jaws into the material to be acted upon.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved grab orexcavating bucket;

to provide a grab bucket having a novel form of closing mechanismwhereby the strains 'on the closing cable will tend to force the jawsinto the material; to provide a combined toggle and rope and pulleyclosing mecha nism for a grab bucket and, in general, tc provide such animproved apparatus as will Vbe described more fully hereinafter. y Inthe accompanying drawings y illustrating this invention;Y f Y VFigure 1's a side view showing the bucket closed;

Figure 2 is a side view showing the bucket open; Figure 3 is a sectionalplan view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a Vfront view; Figure 5 is a sectional view takenfon the fline 5 5 of Figure 2;, j j i Figure 6 is a front'view of one of thescoops or jaws; and f Figure` 7 isa sect`onal view taken `on the line -Aof Figure 6. I j s In the artic'ularform Vof the invention as shown 1nthesedrawngs thefbucket 10 isprovided with two scoops or jaws 11 and yB. citizen of -thev United States, residing at U-shaped as shownv'inFigures 6 and '2'V and have upwardly extending projectionsl forengagement with vthe V.sides ofthe bucket. The longitudinalportionsofthe lips have cross shaft 20. This .shaft is also' provided with alever arm21 which is keyedI or other!V wise securely fastened thereto.vi I y The jaw'12 is provided-with "arms 22:

vwhich are pivoted on the shaft '-20 and'.v are "connected together andk'alsoconnected. with a lever arm 23,;these arms forming a comf'l binedstraddle lever or vbifurcated leverzas will be readily seen from Figure5. The arrangement of the lever arms and jaws is such that the movementon the shaft or pivot 20 is similar tothe action of a pair' of shears.The arm 21 has a bearing 24 at its outer end for sheaves 25 and 25. Thelouter end is preferably provided with a cover or housing 26 forprotecting the sheaves. The arm 23 also lhas a bearing', 27 at its outerendgfor sheaves 28 and28 and has a housing29 for protecting ythe same. Y

The shaft20 is carried in' bearings 30 in the 'lower end of side barsor. frame mem- 1 l -Pairs of arms-36 and 37 are pivoted on therespective shaftsV 32 rand 33'xand are prodownwardly extending vtaperedflanges l16 vided at their; lupper ends with segmentalVV gears 38 and 39which engage Vwith* each' other so that the arms must swing 'in -unison.The outer ends of these armsare connected by pairsofy links 40 and 41 tothe outer sides or corners of the scoops 11 and 12 being pivotedftheretoat.42 and43. rIhe respective pairs of arms and links are pivlotally.connected vby cross shafts 14 and 45. It will be seen that therespective pairs of armsl comprise toggles which will give a powerfulfinalclosing movement.

arrangement will be "readily understood The bucket opening orsupportiigcable i a from Figures l, 2 and a.

y terterence.

Two supportingl members such as cables and t7 each have one endconnected with the outer edge ofthe' scoop or jaw l1 and the oppositeenfdc'onnected with the outer edrgeoiv the scoop l2..

The cable 46 passes under a sheave 48' on the shaft 32 and then up overa sheave titl/"andi down under a sheave 50 on the shaft 83 and thentothe jaw l... The cable fYpa-sses' ina similar manner under a sheave5l,then up over a sheave- 52 and down und'er'a sheave' 53 tothe'opposite sideA oftheV buclet. The

sheaves 419 and 52 are carried" on" a shaft' 54e. which' is alsoprovided' at the center with supporting pulley The. sl'ieavesill-Q.v and522 are also protectedby housing members 5b.

and 57; which are carried by the shaft 534'.'

T he buclret supporting' cable 58 may be fastened-directly to thesh'ea've 55 whena'single line' isto .be used but if' al double line isto be usedv the cable 58 may' passv under the sheave and up to theboomer'. the derricl oi machine with which the bucket is to 4be used.The cables 456. and; l? are provided' with'. stops 58' which are adaptedto engage with stop' plates or projections. 594 on the head block 35 iniorder te limit the swinging movement ot the jaws. j A

The` bucl'etclosing vand lifting` 'cable 60 extends trom-the boom orsupport (not shown) down under a sheave Glfon the shaft ltthen; over andaround sheave 28, then across and around a sheave 62,011' the shaft 45,then bacltaroundl the sheave 28', then across and arounda ,second sheave63, then up and over a sheave `(is, then down and under sheave 25,then'U across and around' a sheave v65 on the shaft let', then back and'around the sheave .257, then. back and under alsecond sheave 66` on. thesha-tt 4 4, andl then up' to a" point of fastening 'where it is becketedor secured to the head block S5. The sheave 64 Yis mounted ina bracket'68 on the side of@ the head block and is arranged atY a suitable angleso that the cable will be in proper alignment withl the differentsheaves which oft' course must be spaced and arranged in orderto peruiitthe line to crosswithout in.-

l'Vhen the term cable is used'it is intended Y to indicate any suitabletlexiblemember such as rope, chain or the like which may be adapted torthe purposes set forth. Y

Then the buckcthas been loweredto durf i position. the tension on theli'ttiirsrv cable the lifting cable such power is utilized most"eiiectively for closing the jaws instead;v of

being reduced? by the tendency to litt'. the

jaws away from thev materialasioccurswith' mosti con'nnon termso'tbuckets. 'ltwi'll' also bey noted that the lid or reinforcedlcutting: lips have a bridging' actron aci-ossi the: jaws' whichstrengthens the edges so that they are' not apt to be bentupwardly atthe center asis common withv the. usual'forin` of buckets.

ilivhen the bucket is t'obe opened for discl-iargirY the holding or'supporting' cable` 5Sy is' drawn in or else tli'el'itti'ng cable' 603 isslaclened so that the bucketi-s supported by the. cables t6 and' 1t?.comes on these cables they litt up the outer ideesot the jawsandlswing'them open as will be readily'seen from Figure 2'. As the lowerstretches of these cables swing upwardly the cables are drawn at a sharpangle across their guiding sheaves which causes a cushioning action andyprevents any undue jar when the jaws openv to their fullest posi-V tionor until the stops 58 enga-ge with the abutments on the head piece. From this description it will be seen that I provide a bucllzet whichwill be particularly etlicient in operation and which will utilize itsown. weight to a large extent in effecting the proper closing acti-en aswell as util'izingto the fullest extent thepower applied `thereto by theliftingfor cle-sing; cable. Havingzthus described my invention, what llclaimand desire to vsecureby Letters Patent is:

l. In a4 grab bucket',l the combination of hinged jaws. flexible holdingmeans engagingv with the outer portions of the jaws7 oppositelyarrangedV arms coactin-p;v4 with the jaws, a supporting traine in whichthe jaws are pivotally mounted. sheaves mounted on said frame and onsaidy arms and a littf j cable roved around saidl pulley and hav-ing;v

vone end secured lo said iframe, said cable ends offsaid arms, linksbetween the outer As' the. weight.

pivoted to' said side bars, holding means y connected to theouterportions of thel jaws,

upwardly projecting arms coacting with the respective jaws, sheavesmounted on said arms, levers pivotally mounted onthehead block, gearssecured to the upper ends of said levers and connected with each other,links connecting the outer ends of the levers with the 'outer portionsof the jaws, sheaves mounted at the outer ends of said levers, guidesheaves on the head block, a cable roved around said various namedsheaves and having one end connected with the head block, thearrangement being such thatwhen a tension is placed on the cable forlifting thebucket it tends to swing the'- arms and levers inwardly toforce the jaws together,

l. substantially as described.

4. A grab bucket comprising a head block, side bars dependingfrom saidblock,jaws pivoted at the lowerv endof said bars, a cross shaft abovethe block, a pair of sheaves mounted on said shaft, a pair of cablespassing over said sheaves and having their ends connected to the outerportions of the bucket,guide rollers on the head block for said cables,a holding cable coacting with the shaft, a lifting cablefor closingjthebucket and means coacting with the lifting ycable and the jaws of thebucket for swinging the jaws together.

5. In a bucket, the combination' of a frame, jaws pivotally mounted onsaid frame, oppositely disposedlevers pivoted to said frame,interlocking means for causing the levers to move together, linksbetween the levers and the outer portions of the jaws, means tending toswing the free ends of thelevers inwardly when the bucket'is to beclosed and means' for supporting the bucket at'the outer portions of thejaws for openingfthe same, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a grab bucket having two or more pivoted jaws,of toggles for each jaw adapted to be actuated by the lifting cable andtending to close the ljaws of the bucket.

7. In a grab bucket, the combination of a supporting frame, a shaftmounted in said frame, a pair of hinge arms secured to said' shaft,arjaw mounted on saidarms, -a lever arm also secured to the shaft, asecond pair lof hinge arms pivotally`r mounted on said shaft, a jawsecured to said arms, a lever varm connected with said last'named hingearms and means lc'oacting with said lever arms and means for opening andclosing the jaws.

8. In a grab supporting cable, a cross shaftvsecured to said cable,sheaves on said cross shaft, a pair of cables passing over'saidsheaves,a frame, jaws pivotally connected to said framel and having their outerportions secured to the ends Vof said cables, guide wheels on said framefor said cables, upwardly `and outbucket, the combination of ai wardlyprojecting arms coacting with said jaws, sheaves at the upper ends ofsaid arms, levers pivoted to said frame, gears lSO secured to the upperends of the levers and engaging with each other to cause the leversr tomove simultaneously, links connecting the outer ends of thelevers to theouter portions of the jaws, ksheaves mounted lat the upper ends of saidlinks, guide sheaves on said frame, a cable for closing the jaws andaround said sheaves andconnected withv the frame as hereinbeforedescribed.

9.' A digging lip `for buckets, ,having a relatively sharp cutting edgeand having llongitudinal and transverse ribs on the lower side thereof.f

l0. The combination with a bucket jaw,

`lifting the bucket, said cable being rove of a substantially U-shapedlip having transverse riby and a plurality of longitudinal ribs on thelower side thereof..

l1. The combination with bucket jaws, of l l closing levers and closingtoggles for each jaw and means coacting with both the levers and togglesto close the jaws.

12. The combination with a grab bucket, of cable jaw opening means,stops forfregulating the opening movement, closing levers and closingtoggles for each jaw coacting 1 with said jaws and a cablefor operatingsaid levers and toggles for clossubstantially as described.;

13. In an excavating bucket, the combination of a Vheadblock,`armssecured'to saidy connected to head block and jaws pivotally said arms.

14;. In an excavating bucket, the combination of two or more pivotedjaws, a head block and means `for supporting the hea-d block at afixedydista-nce from the jaws.

' VVILKS B. GREGG.

ng the .jaws,

